Chef Sheila Bryson's Soul Hospitality Group already has two restaurants on Pima Road at the edge of Desert Camp Village. This fall it is set to anchor the Pinnacle Peak intersection to the north as well. ALMA closed its Old Town Scottsdale location earlier in 2026 and is rebuilding at The Citadel, 8700 E. Pinnacle Peak Road, in the space Preston's Steakhouse used to occupy. The latest reported opening date is November 2.
On its own, one restaurant moving would be minor news. What makes this one worth following is the route it completes. Once ALMA opens, a DC Ranch resident heading north on Pima will pass a Bryson restaurant at Market Street and reach a cluster of Bryson concepts at the top of the road. And the corner at Pinnacle Peak will have dinner, a rooftop lounge, and dessert open into the evening, where until now the Bryson business there was a café that closed at 3 p.m.
One Operator, Four Addresses
Bryson's North Scottsdale restaurants sit along two roads that meet at The Citadel. In order, starting from DC Ranch:
- Pescada, 20707 N. Pima Road, at Market Street. The New Times describes it as Mediterranean seafood, with whole fish, oysters on the half shell, and small plates for sharing.
- Vic & Ola's, 20775 N. Pima Road, Suite 110. It serves upscale Italian food built around house-made pastas and seafood, and it is named for Bryson's grandparents, who were immigrants from Calabria.
- Little Snitch, 8700 E. Pinnacle Peak Road, Suite 106, at The Citadel. It is a counter-service café for breakfast and lunch, with a bakery counter, a walk-up coffee window, and a full bar.
- Soul Café, 7615 E. Pinnacle Peak Road, west of the intersection. The New Times calls it the most personal of Bryson's concepts, serving hearty comfort food.
According to DC Ranch's own village descriptions, Desert Camp Village lies east of Pima Road and south of Thompson Peak Parkway, and Market Street is inside it. That makes Pescada the southern end of the group, a short walk or drive for many residents. The northern end is where all the change is happening.
Why the Citadel Corner Opened Up
The Citadel has been at the northwest corner of Pinnacle Peak and Pima since 1985. For about the last decade, its main restaurant was Preston's Steakhouse. Preston's closed in 2025 and pointed to the building's condition and needed repairs after more than ten years in the space.
The intersection has a longer history than most corners in the city. A Scottsdale history feature calls Pinnacle Peak and Pima the geographic center of Scottsdale. It also notes that E.O. Brown established Browns Ranch/DC Ranch in 1916, and that cattle drives to the Phoenix stockyards would have crossed where the intersection is today. Each corner has its own center: Pinnacle Peak Village/Plaza de Alamos on the southwest, The Citadel on the northwest, La Mirada on the northeast, and Desert Village on the southeast. The name ALMA's team chose for its rooftop, Copper Club, fits that ranch-era history.
What ALMA Becomes at 8700 E. Pinnacle Peak
ALMA's old menu drew on Santa Fe, with traditional and modern New Mexico-style dishes. At The Citadel it is being rebuilt as a Southwest-inspired steakhouse centered on wood-fired cooking, drawing on flavors from Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Northern Mexico.
The published menu shows what that means in practice. USDA Prime steaks are grilled over live fire, and the list includes a Copper State Reserve tenderloin and an Arizona-raised bison ribeye. Sides include cowboy tots and ranch beans. A shareable "Ranch Table" offers a whole grilled red snapper, a pork chop, a bone-in ribeye, or a mixed grill. The entrées also include trout, halibut, quail, and antelope. The ALMA Scottsdale website says the online menu is still being finalized and may change before opening.
The building will hold more than the dining room. The plans include Copper Club, a rooftop lounge with live music and desert views, and a tequila and mezcal bar serving tastings with chef-made tacos and small bites. Barbwire Western Couture, a western clothing boutique Bryson ran in the past, is coming back in the same building with clothing, jewelry, boots, and hats. Bryson has said guests can order from ALMA's full menu in the steakhouse, on the rooftop, or at the tequila bar.
"We're building more than a restaurant. We're creating a place to celebrate, gather, explore, shop, toast, and make memories." Sheila Bryson, in ALMA's reopening announcement
The Evening Hours Little Scoops Is Designed For
Little Snitch already operates at The Citadel. Its website lists hours of 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. It started as a small grab-and-go coffee stop and grew into a café known for florals and brunch plates. So Bryson's presence on this corner has so far been a daytime one.
The next two openings are aimed at the evening. Little Scoops is planned as an old-fashioned ice cream parlor next door, connected to Little Snitch, and it is "strategically designed to stay open later into the evening" as a late dessert stop for people eating along the Pinnacle Peak corridor. Once ALMA's dining room, rooftop, and bar are open next to it, the same building that now serves morning coffee will also have places for dinner, drinks, and dessert.
That gives DC Ranch residents a new option for an evening out on Pima. It is now possible to start with oysters at Pescada near home or drive straight to the rooftop, and the night can end at an ice cream counter without leaving the intersection.
What Is Confirmed and What Is Still a Target
The reports differ in how firm they are, and a few details have already changed:
- ALMA's opening date. In July, Patch reported an October 1 target, with Bryson saying construction could push it into early November. On October 1, Forking Scottsdale gave the date as November 2. It also reported that reservations were already open on OpenTable and listed the phone number as 480-284-6736. November 2 is a target until the restaurant actually opens.
- Little Scoops. It is expected around the time ALMA opens. A July report gave no opening date and no full menu.
- Copper Club, the tequila bar, and Barbwire. All three are part of the announced plan. No separate opening dates have been published for them.
- Updates. ALMA has said it will post construction updates and opening details on its Instagram page.
The Rest of Pinnacle Peak Road This Fall
ALMA is not the only change on Pinnacle Peak Road. Baan Thai Bistro opened in September 2026 at 7605 E. Pinnacle Peak Road, according to PHOENIX magazine's monthly roundup. That address is a few doors from Soul Café at 7615, so the western stretch of the road now has a new Thai restaurant next to Bryson's comfort-food café.
Ownership adds one more link. Whitestone REIT, the company leasing space at The Citadel, also owns Market Street at DC Ranch. The two ends of this short stretch of Pima have the same landlord and, after ALMA opens, restaurants from the same chef.
For a November weekend, the plan writes itself. Pescada and Vic & Ola's are at the south end of the stretch. ALMA's steakhouse, rooftop, and tequila bar are at the north end. Little Snitch covers Sunday morning until 3 p.m., and Little Scoops is planned for the late hours once it opens.
If you are considering a home within easy reach of Pima Road, the corner at Pinnacle Peak is worth including in your search. Nadine De Luca can walk you through which parts of DC Ranch are closest to Market Street and which are closest to The Citadel. Let's Connect — Request a Private Consultation.
